Darkness Reversed
by jiyori
Summary: -A rewrite of an old story of mine- Allen Walker comes across a mysterious piece of innocence while on a mission and find himself in a world where everything is thrown askew. Those he knows as family are his enemies now, and the Noah family are exorcist using innocence to defeat them. How can he get back home safely when he can't even trust himself in this reverse world? AllenxRoad
1. Chapter 1

Hello guys! With the new anime having just started, people found old art of my previous Reverse story. With the interest coming up, I decided to republish it. It was taken down originally because I didn't really know where to take it, so this will be based off the original idea, but with a rehash. Please enjoy and leave comments if you would like more! Thank you very much!

Chapter 1  
-

 _How did this happen…?_

 _Allen's world was rushing around him, and he wasn't sure how anything could have led to this exact moment in time. Bodies lay around him, those of Tyki and Road Kamelot, their exorcist uniforms as tattered as their bodies were. Lenalee only feet away stood over Road, dark skin on her body and stigmata crowning her as a Noah. Her dark laughter confirming it as she stepped on Road's chest._

 _And then there was him._

 _Choking on a breath, he turned his attention back to the hand that was strangling him. His feet were barely touching the ground as he was held up by just his throat. Up the arm and behind the scary grin was… himself. His eyes glared back at him, and his smile twisted in a sinister fashion._

 _"It was nice to meet myself from this… 'other world'," He spoke. It was even his own voice. "But I'm afraid this has to be goodbye. I hope you understand that there is no way I can allow someone parallel to my power to exist on the same plane as I."_

 _"But with the innocence lost, and no way for you to return, this is the only way." He continued."_

 _Allen's eyes widened as he remembered. That was it. There had been innocence… a mirror that had taken him here. It was all because of this mirror that those he cared about were dying and he could do nothing. The sky was blackening around the sides. It could have been the darkness of the Millennium Earl destroying the world, or it could have been his eyes beginning to give way to death. Either way, Allen couldn't let it end like this._

 _"Keep walking, Allen!"_

 _It felt as though he could hear Mana's voice. In his ear, he could feel the breath of his father whispering those words of encouragement. He grabbed at his opponent's hands and continued to struggle, but there was no strength left in him. Allen felt his arms drop to his sides, and his eyes close without his wanting to. He felt himself finally be dropped and his head hitting the ground. If he couldn't see from lack of oxygen, he definitely couldn't see now from the pain. He'd hit some sort of rock, but from knowing his surroundings just a few minutes ago, it was more likely it had been rubble from what was left of the Order of Light._

 _Even further away he could hear Road calling to him. Her voice was just as weak, if not more so. He was admittedly shocked that she could still speak. Allen could barely remember a time where he would be protecting Road of all people, but he knew those moments had been scattered in the timeline of his life._

 _"Road… I have to… I have to…"_

 _…_

"You have to get up!" Lenalee? Yes, it was Lenalee's voice.

Allen's eyes shot open and he sat up quickly. He wasn't covered in blood, and his body didn't hurt. The stones around him were pressed together firmly as walls instead of broken apart around him. He lay in softness, blankets of crisp white and a clean mattress rested just beneath those. Beside him stood Lenalee, the one he'd known best.

Her hair was beginning to grow so she had begun keeping half of it in pigtails once again. Her uniform was finely pressed, and she looked happy. Not the evil sort of happy that he'd just dreamt up. That's all that had been.

"S-sorry. I was really out of it." Allen laughed as he scratched the back of his head. He was shirtless he realized so he grabbed for the clean shirt that rested on a chair beside his bed. "Good morning Lenalee."

"Good morning Allen! It's good to have you back!" Her smile was so bright that he couldn't help but return it. It was good to be back.

Just recently he'd been on the run. He'd been living on the streets. The family he'd known for so long that had finally taken him in, had disowned him. They called him a 'Noah' and had stuck him in the deepest of dungeons. They hunted him as a Noah. They tracked him down as a Noah. If it hadn't been for Johnny and Kanda finding him and helping him, then the help from Link, he wouldn't be back here. They'd fought for him, and brought him back. They'd helped prove his innocence still useful to the Dark Order. It was because of them that he could see this smile again.

"Thank you Lenalee." Allen stretched and peeked out his window. The sun was bright and the sky clear. Sumer was rolling around the corner and it was strange to be happy to be within the walls of this place again, but he'd rather be inside than be an enemy on the outside. "What's going on today?"

"Oh we have a mission!" She beamed. It had been a long while since he'd had a mission with Lenalee. It'd been a long time since he'd gotten to do any sort of exorcist mission in fact. "The higher ups are wanting to test you today. They know your innocence works, so there's no way you could have betrayed the Order. But this is your chance to prove it, they're letting you do missions again!"

He could feel her excitement and again it transferred over to him. She'd always had faith in him, and knew that he'd never give up being an exorcist. Now it was time for him to show the rest of the organization the same. A firm nod from him confirmed that he understood the implications of this, and he followed her out. His dark innocence imbued hand took hold of the familiar red and black uniform that rested on a hook by the door just as he left his room to follow Lenalee.

As he trekked the halls behind Lenalee, he took in the stone walls of the new exorcist headquarters. They were not the ones he had once called home, he actually got very little time in this place compared to the other, but home was home nonetheless. Just across the hall he could see Johnny waving to him, and he waved back. These people were his home.

"It's so weird… That was such a strange dream…" He was speaking half to Lenalee, and halfway to himself.

"Dream?" She paused a moment to look back to him. She'd known her own share of strange dreams after all. She could still remember Allen on the ground and she weeping over his dead body. "What was it about?"

When Allen noticed Lenalee had stopped in her path, he skidded to a pause himself, laughing nervously as he realized what he'd said had been out loud. "Oh uhm… Well, in the dream everyone was backwards. Lenalee and everyone else were noahs… and the Noahs were exorcists…"

Allen stopped as he realized what he said had strange implications. Someone that would be very dangerous to say when he'd just gotten himself rid of all the suspicion that had been on his back. "S-Sorry… It was just a weird dream." He laughed.

Lenalee turned her head and laughed lightly too. "Yeah, dreams are strange sometimes…"

She continued to walk ahead, and they spoke about small things. About how Allen seemed to have grown taller recently, and how his hair had gotten longer. Lenalee offered to cut it for him, mentioning that she cut her brother's hair for him sometimes. Small talk rang in his ears familiarly, but as the conversation continued, he found himself feeling a bit more like a stranger than he had before. Of course, he knew they were all happy to have him back, but there had been a lot that went on, and it would take a bit for them to feel okay not with his coming back, but with all the trouble he felt he had given them.

Luckily enough they were interrupted by the door to Komui's office. Lenalee knocked softly, and let herself in, Allen following easily. "Brother! Allen's here, so we can get started with the mission."

She made her way to Komui's desk and took a folder from her brother, then handed it to Allen. Her smile was sweet and Allen returned it yet again with a small 'thanks'.

"Well Allen! I know we haven't given you a welcome back party yet, but it's a little hard to do that with innocence running about… so we have to push that back unfortunately." Komui's smile was quite different than Lenalee's. It wasn't that it didn't want to make Allen smile back, but it had a sadness to it. Komui always felt responsible for all the younger exorcists under his care, and he hated putting them out there if they were not ready. He simply felt bad.

"It's okay. This is what I'm here for Mr. Komui." Allen nodded to show his resolution, and opened up his file to take a look.

Komui pushed his chair back and stood up to walk around his desk. He sat instead on the wooden table, not bothering to push away the papers from his desk as he did. "That's good… I'm glad to hear that you're back at this. You were always a valuable exorcist Allen. Dedicated and hard working. That's why we decided that this would be a good way to start your welcome back."

"It's a simple retrieval." He continued. Then again, no retrieval missions were ever quite simple. "A mirror in a town just on the border of Italy has been showing some interesting things lately. We all know mirrors show everything, but reversed. You see your left hand on the right, for example." He showed a hand mirror he was keeping just for the explanation, though everyone on the earth knew how mirrors worked. Komui had always been into the show of the presentation.

"What's so different about this one then…? Does it show everything the same…?"

"Not quite… It shows the opposites as it should, but to a certain… extreme." He stopped and let the exorcists turn their pages. "If the sky is raining, it'll be clear within the mirror. If it is night in our world… it will be day time within the mirror."

Allen's brows raised in surprise as he remembered his dream, then shrugged it off. It was just a dream after all.

"As it turns out, there's no living person that can touch it. It stands on its own in the middle of an abandoned field. It was discovered when older buildings in that field began to be demolished for new homes. Now it just rests in the middle of the land. Because of our success at the rewinding town and how exorcists were able to enter the barrier there, we can only assume this is much the same. We simply want you to grab the mirror and bring it back home for studying."

Again Allen nodded with understanding, and he closed his file. "When will we be leaving?" He asked simply.

"As soon as possible. Lenalee will be accompanying you of course."

"It'll be like old times" She clapped her hands together. She was excited that he was back with their family, almost as excited as he was.

"Just like old times!" He confirmed.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Thank you to everyone who followed and red and wrote reviews! It's nice to know that people are reading!

Chapter 2

Since Allen had been to a nearby place before, it didn't take long for them to reach the place where the innocence was supposed to be. In contrast, the field itself was a slightly more difficult to find. When Allen and Lenalee arrived at the entrance to the town there were a few people out, the market was open, and some small children were running about instead of being in classes. The sun shone brightly once again, and yet another day filled their lives with a clarity and simplicity Allen had so missed.

He was half tempted to walk on the grass just on the outskirts of the path they were walking on, but with Lenalee taking the situation seriously, he knew he should too. It wasn't that he wasn't going to take it seriously when they needed to, but the need to celebrate being an exorcist once again was building up within him, and his young mind wanted to be happy about it all.

"Where was it that the villager said we could find the mirror again?" He asked as he took a bite from some bread he bought at a nearby stall.

Lenalee was looking around quietly, also taking in the surroundings. "He simply said we would know… but there don't seem to be fields in any area nearby… and I didn't see one on the way into town…"

"Should we split up…?" He offered, his mouth full of food. It took special skill to speak with food on either side of his cheeks, but he had plenty of years of practice to help perfect his abilities.

Allen was making his way away from Lenalee when she took a hold of his sleeve and held him back. "Allen… you know this is still a test right…? If things go wrong… then who knows what they'd do to you. Please…" She turned and took his hands, causing him to drop the bag of remaining bread. It landed up right with nothing spilling, but it still took him by surprise.

Heat rose to his cheeks and he didn't really know how to react. "Please just… Can you be careful? I don't want to lose you again. None of us do!"

That was why she'd been so distant lately. She was worried, and he should have known that. Of course he knew that he had always been a bit dense, but it explained her short sentences with him. She also probably felt guilty for allowing herself to be a part of testing him. "I know that you're fine! I know that you're an exorcist. Remember…? Remember when you promised that to me…? I know it but- But the others don't! And I can't lose another member of my family, Allen! I can't-"

"Lenalee." It felt nice to be worried about, to have someone who cared about what happened to him. He knew that he couldn't put himself in danger, and he couldn't lose the faith that Lenalee, and in connection Komui, had for him. They'd more than likely gotten him this mission so that he could prove himself to the higher ups. "I won't let you down. I promise." He looked into her eyes intensely and he knew that his message was being shared to her. He willed his belief in himself onto her, so that she could rest easy.

She seemed to relax with his promise, and her stiffened shoulders dropped with her sigh of relief. A steady breeze blew between them and she pushed her dark shoulder length hair back behind her ear. "Thank you Allen… If that's the case… and you promise to be safe, then splitting up will be a good idea. We can take left and right sides, as long as we promise to meet up at center square before night fall."

Glancing to where she pointed, he could see a large and ornate fountain with water cascading in such a manner that made the water seem like thin curtains of silk, instead of a moving liquid. In the center of it stood a statue of a woman, her arms outstretched as if begging for more water. Near the bottom pond where the water was sucked up back into circulation, stood a few children. Their attempts at stealing a few wishing pennies from inside lead to one of them falling inside and becoming drenched.

Allen confirmed to his partner the plan, and they split up with occasional glances at once another every couple of feet. Allen's were reassuring, while Lenalee held her hand to her heart, unsure if he would be safe by himself. "I'll be fine Lenalee!" He promised one more time before he walked away. This time he didn't look back, so that he wouldn't look as unsure as Lenalee probably felt.

His first step to proving himself would be to find the Innocence before Lenalee did. It was not in his nature to outdo her, or even attempt to. This was not supposed to be a competition, and they should instead be working together. In this situation though, it would look much better if he was able to gather the innocence and bring it back to the Order with her. That was why he walked over to the small kids and helped pull them out of the fountain.

"Excuse me… do you know anything about the mirror…? It's supposed to be magic, and shows the opposite of what is going on…?" He asked politely and even offered his own bread from the bag that he'd had to pick back up.

One of the children wore a newsboy cap, and he wrong the water out of the fabric while his friends scarfed down the offerings from the older male. "Yeah… Why? D'ya want it…?"

"Sort of." Allen offered. He sat on the edge of the fountain, wondering if it was supposed to be this easy. "I have to investigate it essentially… figure out if it's dangerous or not you see."

The children all seemed to nod in unison, their childlike understanding much easier to speak to than the understanding of an adult. "Well, we're not supposed to say. You see, it's bringing people into town, and we're going to start making more money soon! We didn't have anything special about us before! But now that the rumor is out about it, people come by searching for it!"

The begging statue in the center of town and lack of people made sense. Allen studied the children and noticed their clothes somewhat tattered, patches sewn about on elbows and knees to fixed parts that were too big to just simply be sewn back together.

"I don't break it, I promise. I just want to examine it for now."

The children once again seemed to accept his sincerity and agreed to show him where it was. The small boy with the newspaper cap took Allen by the hand and pulled on him. He was small and had obviously been hungry, so his strength wasn't much, but Allen didn't need much to be guided to the destination.

They lead him to the edge of town, where the town seemed to recede and meet at the stone wall that surrounded it. A sharp turn here, and another there, and he stood in front of an old abandoned church. It didn't seem to be too dilapidated, but he could also not see any fields nearby.

"H-Here..?" Perhaps the kids had lead him astray, or made a fool of him, or maybe they didn't even know themselves.

"Yeah! It's inside."

"A field… inside of the church…?" He asked, doubtful. It was a well-known fact, however, that he had seem much stranger things. Glowing trees, and ghosts that played chess still stood at the back of his mind, and he knew that he shouldn't doubt what they said. It was his job to investigate strange things. So he pushed his doubt away, thanked the kids and walked inside. He had to ignore the fact that they followed him once inside from a safe distance, but he pretended to not know they were tailing him.

Now, innocence had always been strange, but it never seemed to stop taking his breath away. Sure enough, inside the abandoned church was a large field. Grass seeds must've gathered in the wind and planted themselves inside. As far as he could see it was all bright and clean and well taken care of. There were no patches in the plants, and because the church had been huge, other plant lives thrived inside as well.

Then just in the middle, a gleam caught his eye, and he spotted the mirror in question. It was a simple tall looking mirror that stood on four legs. It's glass edges were decorated by intricate golden designs that Allen was sure the townspeople would have sold could they get their hands on it.

He made his way through the green that grew on the ground, and treaded lightly. He didn't know if it was because he wanted to be careful near the innocence, or because he didn't want to ruin the tranquility of the space. Either way, it took a couple of moments for him to finally reach the center, where the mirror stood. Now he could see the designs much better, and he could see the kids in the background, watching closely.

He barely had a chance to really look, when the children were stepped through by a tall man with long curly hair, dragging a trail of cigarette smoke behind him. He spun to face the real version of Tyki Mikk instead of the reflection. "You-!"

"Me? Why would you question my being here…? It's my job to break innocence. You know that." He spread his arms in a shrug but didn't drop the cigarette he kept in his hands. "Now, I know you're just going to give me a hassle, but it wouldn't hurt to just ask you to just go home and leave the mirror would it…?" He asked. A smile spread on his face as Allen activated his innocence and rushed forward with sword in hand. Feathers and white surrounded the area in a beautiful, almost angelic way. He was a warrior for the Innocence, and would never be a Noah, this form of innocence claimed it so.

The kids ran away screaming, calling for help, but Allen's ears blocked it as he focused on the Noah in front of him. "That's like me asking for you to stop working for the Earl. I could ask but it'll never happen!"

Tyki's smile began a menacing grin that spread wide and inhumanely from ear to ear. "You're right. Never gonna happen, Boy." When Allen's sword his Tyki, the older man brought s familiar teeze butterfly from inside him and used it as a shield from the attack. It was his turn to rush the boy, and he did much the same, only using his hand as the weapon instead. It would do no good to get the Earl mad at him for killing him, but if he could take out any organ enough to knock him out, he could just put it back in and the Earl would never know.

That's how organs worked right? In any case, he intended to find out. He wasn't a doctor, but he'd do a bit of surgery on Allen Walker, he decided.

The two banged at one another, dodging and attacking, then dodging again. When Allen slashed his sword at Tyki, and the man returned the attack with a swipe to Allen's nonfighting arm. They seemed evenly matched, and stood separate from one another, chests heaving up and down from adrenaline. "You don't even know what you're fighting for… In fact, there's so much you don't actually know is there…?" Tyki Mikk laughed.

"I know you kill innocent people and turn them into puppets for the Earl's damned game! That's all I need to kn-…" He stopped as he heard a giggle behind him.

Allen hadn't realized he'd been pushed back to the same spot, only closer to the mirror than previously. Behind him he could see himself reflected back. It took a moment to register the shock of what he saw. There was himself facing the same direction he currently was, but the mirror itself showed him to have dark gray skin and the same scary smile that Tyki currently had. Tyki, on the other hand, had on the red and black uniform Allen currently wore.

While staring at the reflections, Allen didn't notice that he'd not been paying attention to the battle before him. Tyki once again came forward with an incredible speed no normal human could match, He pushed once again and knocked Allen off his feet. Supposed to land on his back, Allen grabbed at the mirror to help him get steady. If he was caught on his back, it could mean death by Noah attack. However, when he fell backward, there was no glass to stop him. Instead he fell and continued to fall.

His eyes were wide as he watched Tyki Mikk stare him down. The Noah was just as shocked as he was to fall backward into the mirror, but as he reached out to pull him away, Tyki was thrown backward and Allen fell the rest of the way into the mirror…

He remembered falling backward, but somehow ended up landing on his face instead. At first he couldn't get up, and couldn't really register how it had happened. Grabbing for the grass beneath his gloved hands, he tried his best to stand up as quickly as he could, but it felt as though the innocence had taken his breath and strength from him. He groaned beneath his weight for a moment, but then was pushed back down onto the ground.

"Stay down." The voice was familiar, that of a woman's in fact. "What were you doing inside that? Hurry up and answer before we have to-"

"Road, calm down. He's wearing an exorcist uniform after all…" That voice was just as familiar. In fact, he'd just been speaking to it.

Tyki Mikk.

Allen turned his head so that his cheek was on the cool wet of the grass. "Tyki… Mikk…? Road… Kamelot…?" He asked, his lips bringing in water from the wet of the grass. It was then he noticed it was raining here. Just as Komui had said, it was sunny back in his world, so it would be raining here of course. He got a glimpse of shiny red shoes and he glanced up to peek at what he could barely believe.

In truth, just as he had thought, there stood the two he'd known as Noahs for the large amount he knew them. They looked surprised, but no one looked more surprised than he had. "How do you know our names…? Are you from another branch…?" Road lifted her foot from him and only then did he realize that she had been holding him down. His mind had been racing far too much for him for him to realize much of anything.

Tyki reached out and helped him to his feet. The man, just as usual had a cigarette in his mouth that didn't seem to waiver. Flapping it's wings by his head was a golem that seemed to have butterfly wings and was reminiscent of the teeze that had almost killed Allen all those months ago. Beside him the purple haired girl he'd known for even longer stood, her gaze just as untrusting as the one he'd given them plenty of times. They both wore a version of the red and black uniform that adorned his back.

Road leaned in closer, as if to inspect him, and her bright blue eyes met with his silver and things froze for a moment. Allen felt he couldn't handle it all, and he felt his knees buckle within him and the world went dark…,

"Woah there! He must be injured!"


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Again, thank you to everyone who reviewed! Much love

Chapter 3

When Allen woke up, he felt just as heavy as he had previously, only less tied down, so he was able to sit up wherever he was. His eyes opened hastily, and he sat up just as quickly. He wanted to ask where he was, but just as he was going to, his eyes adjusted to the bright lights around him revealing that he was in the hospital wing of the Order. He rubbed his head and his eyes groggily. It felt as though he had just been sleeping for a long time.

"Ugh… How long have I been out…?" He asked seemingly no one.

"About 3 days… honestly it was a little frightening considering no one in any of our branches knew who you were so we weren't sure where to send you… or if to send you anywhere." The voice scared him and Allen shot up, standing on his bed. He was ready to activate his innocence in self-defense, but the source of the talking made themselves known easily enough. They'd been standing behind the curtain that was beside his bed. When he looked closer, they hadn't been hiding, he just hadn't noticed the shadow behind the fabric. It looked as though he had an arm sized needle in his hand and had been preparing some sort of injection. When he noticed that Allen was sitting up just fine, he set the syringe on a metal cart and strolled over to where he was. "I suppose you won't need this to wake up then…"

Something about the man again was very familiar. It was more along the lines of the look in his eyes and how it reminded him of Komui, rather than the fact that Allen had seen him attacking the Order once. "My name is Sheryl Kamelot and I'm the Chief of this branch of the Order of Light … Do you remember your name? We have a lot of questions for you and it would make things a whole lot easier if you could comply."

He didn't seem dangerous, not as dangerous as he'd seemed when he'd first attacked the order back home. Allen had to keep his cool, and he had to find a way to get back to the mirror before he lost his mind. This place was too strange for him. Inside he still felt the pull of needing to fight these guys, and to not trust them. However, he was smart enough to know how this innocence worked, and he knew if anything, they would be the opposite of the selves he knew well.

"My name...? Uhm… yes it's…" He stopped for a moment, unsure of what his standing was in this world. "Allen Walker… and I'm an exorcist."

Sheryl's sharp eyes seemed to turn away and he looked down. His finger tapped at his chin as if he were thinking something deeply. "An exorcist you say…? I spoke to the heads of the other branches… America, China, South America… none of them knew of an exorcist with white hair and an innocence imbued arm."

Allen shot a look quickly to his arm, but realized it was still safe, still connected to his body, and still had innocence within it. He lifted it and stared at the back of it where the glowing green cross had lain all his life. Should he tell the truth? About where he came from? If he did, they could help him get back. Then again, there was a large chance they wouldn't believe him.  
"Luckily enough," The man stopped a moment, and shared a glance at the hand. "We were able to run tests on you these past couple of days. You aren't an akuma, and your innocence is, in fact, real. So there is no reason to doubt you about your side in all of this. It's just very strange that you are completely unknown… and the fact you carry the same name as someone else we know…" He stopped himself, as if not wanting to let anything out that he shouldn't.

"Well, in any case, rest up. There are other people here who would like to speak to you as well."

Allen held his hand out and grabbed him by the wrist, not holding on tightly so as not to threaten him, but enough to keep him in place. "Wait! The innocence… the one I.. uh.. came out of. Where is it?"

Sheryl furrowed his brow at the thought of it. "The innocence? Do you mean the mirror? My exorcists brought it back here. It's safe. But that's all the information I'd like to give you for now, Allen Walker." Sheryl stepped away and Allen could hear the door close behind him as he left the room.

"What did I get myself into?" He asked himself, white hair plopping back onto his pillow. Three days? What happened to Lenalee? Did the Noahs get the innocence back on his side? Was it destroyed over there, perhaps leaving him in this backwards realm he knew nothing about? "I have to find a way back home… I can't stay here."

He sat up and found that the three days of sleep had really helped. The innocence moving him from one world to the other must have really taken a lot out of him, but now he felt as spritely as he'd ever felt. He turned himself and let his bare feet touch the cold tiles of the medical room. They were sparkling clean and looked untouched, even if Chief Kamelot had just been in here with him. A window was placed just beside his bed, and he took the opportunity to look outside of it. He shouldn't have been surprised to see the exact scenery he would have seen if he'd been looking out of his own window. Watching the people walking around though, he felt unsettled by seeing exorcists he'd known to be enemies walking about.

Just below, the white haired Noah with the eye on his forehead was speaking jovially to the twins Krory had fought and defeated while on the Ark. They all wore exorcist uniforms. A pretty scientist walked by, blond hair in pigtails, and he recognized her as the long dead Akuma named Eliade. Things were so misaligned here that his stomach felt as though he wouldn't be able to handle any food given to him. He felt dizzy at the thoughts of where his friends and family were, and what they were doing here. What about Lenalee? Would she be evil here? Or dead? Or even Miranda or Kory? The way he knew them, they wouldn't be able to make it as akuma if that's what they were. What if they were all dead here?

Allen had to stop for a moment and think. What could be something that wouldn't be changed here? What was supposed to be neither good nor evil here, unbiased even. "Bookmen…" he answered himself.

The bookmen were supposed to stand on the gray, the barrier between good and evil, and the balance between the two sides of the war. If anyone could help him, it would be the Bookmen, even more specifically, Lavi. At least that was what he'd hoped.

Allen scrambled to gather his clothes that had been set aside for him and he got redressed. The scrubs he'd been put in were comfortable, but he would probably have a lot more ease leaving the Order with his uniform on so that he could blend in with the exorcists. He quickly buttoned up his last button and put his shoes on just as quickly. There was no time for perfection, only God knew where the innocence was now. More than likely Hevlaska had it, but there was no way of knowing until he actually got to her room to ask her.

He slipped open the door and peeked outside. Strangely there were no guards, convenient actually. Allen didn't have time to think about what that meant, whether they were testing him, or just not taking him seriously. He'd had enough of being tested these days.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Eh?" Allen froze mid tip toe out of the door. Guess he'd thought he was free too soon.

He was accustomed to seeing this face, a smile full of secrets and a large pair of eyes that knew too much for their age, whatever Road's age actually was.

"I don't know why there aren't guards outside your room… but you really shouldn't be outside. It's suspicious and could very well get you killed." She warned. Coming closer, he noted how her eyes were a bright blue instead of her usual golden. He'd never thought about it, but the gold only came with the Noah form, so this must be what Road looked like outside of their battles. He'd seen her human form a long time ago, so long ago that he couldn't remember.

"Is that a threat Ms. Kamelot?" He wasn't sure if he really wanted to make enemies out of the exorcists on this side. What if they were his only way to get to the innocence? What if that was his only way back? "I don't want to fight you! I just want to go home!" He raised his hands in front of him to show that he was harmless, and that he had no reason to attack her.

Road simply smiled and stepped closer, her hands behind her back. "Home? Aren't you home now? You're an exorcist with innocence on your arm!" Running over she wrapped her arms around his, something that was a usual transaction between the two even if she didn't know it. Something that was also familiar with him was her leaning into his ear and whispering to him, just as this time, "Besides like I said, leaving here will guaranteed mark you as an enemy… especially when we know nothing about you. We'd have to hunt you down, and then cut your fake innocence off your body… followed by the rest of your limbs."

He turned to her sharply and saw the smile still on her face. "Ex-excuse me?"

"Don't play dumb. No one knows who you are but you just show up with an exorcist uniform and innocence on your arm with such a high synchro rate?" What sorts of experiments had they put him through for three nights in a row that they had such information on him?

Her happy facial expression was opposite to the poison that was coming from her lips, yet she continued, "This isn't some sort of game. I'll figure out who or what you are. There's no way you're getting to any of the innocence, and there's no way you're going to be wandering these halls by yourself!"

Allen didn't want Road to see him sweat, but in this world she seemed much the same as she did in his own parallel world. If this is what exorcists were like, were the Noahs much kinder here? "I really am an exorcist, it's just hard to explain. Didn't you see me come out of the mirror innocence? Weren't you there to investigate it?"

Road narrowed her eyes at him but he continued, "It was supposed to show a reverse right? If it rains here, there's sunshine there right?"

She continued to stare at him and he felt himself sweat beneath her glare until a voice interrupted the two of them. "Ah! I thought I'd find you with the new exorcist, Road! Seems like you've taken a liking to him huh?" Tyki was making his way up the hall, a friendly grin on his face as he waved to them. Road quickly let go of Allen, but remained beside him. "Don't mind her Boy, she usually takes a liking to things she's not used to. If she hates you, she likes you." He laughed.

Allen quietly gave a fake laugh as he glanced to Road, and then back at Tyki. Road had a pout on her face and she huffed in Tyki's direction, "No, if I don't like you, then I don't like you! And I don't like him Tyki!" She didn't seem to care that Allen was standing right in front of her when she said the things she said. "Besides, even if he's not dangerous… look at him! Look at his face! You can't tell me you trust… this!?"

She pointed to all of him in such a way would have insulted him, if he'd known what they were talking about.

"Well you're going to have to deal with it for now, until we can get things sorted out. Your Father probably wants to keep him under his creepy surveillance for a while longer anyway." Tyki sighed. Both he and Road this meant stares from behind corners, and the exorcist waking up in his room with Sheryl standing in a dark corner taking notes. Allen had no clue, but he was sure that it couldn't be as bad as Komui had been at the start… could it?

"I guess now would be a bad time to also state that he's stuck with us until we get it all fixed up too huh?" Tyki added after a moment of silence.

"Ehhhh!?" Both Allen and Road spoke in unison, upset about the proposition for different reasons. Allen found it ironic that Road didn't like him even a little here, when she was beside him. The Road in his world would sleep in his bed beside him if given the opportunity.

Road glared at Allen but smiled when she realized he didn't want to be around them either. "Wooww! Totally suspicious! Looks like this will be a whole lot easier than I thought!" She didn't hide her laugh behind her hand very well. "Just admit that you're in league with the Noahs already, you're no match for us."

"I'm NOT a Noah!" Allen defended himself. He'd heard enough of this even in his own world. "I'm an exorcist and I don't have time for this! I have to get to the innocence and get back home! Please! Just tell me where the innocence I came from is and I won't have to prove anything to you! I'll leave you alone forever! My comrades are waiting for me!"

"Kid, we're your comrades now. At least until we can get things fixed. There's no way you're getting near the innocence even if you were God himself in human form. It's protected and we have to admit… with the way no one knows who you are, it won't be easy. Most people here at the Order don't really trust someone who just pops up out of nowhere with no record."

Allen knew that well, he had proven himself time and time again to the Order, and he'd shown how loyal he was. Still though they treated him as an enemy and hunted him down as a Noah. "Alright then, how do I prove myself? How can I show you I'm trust worthy enough to at the very least look at it?" He sighed with defeat, but he had a goal in mind and he wouldn't let himself be stopped so that he could get back to his own exorcists.

Tyki and Road stared at Allen for a moment, then looked to one another, before looking back at the white haired boy. "It's not hard really. Just fight our fight."

"I've been fighting this fight a whole lot longer than you think."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you once again for the lovely reviews and comments on my story! I had a bit of trouble with this chapter, but hopefully it gets a few surprises through clearly. I'm planning on building up more questions so that they may be answered as the story goes! Thanks for reading!

Chapter 4

If there was anything that was the same no matter where you went, it was food. After Allen promised to do his best for the Order, so that he could find a way to get back home of course, the silence between them was broken when Allen's stomach growled loudly. The two exorcists in front of him stared awkwardly for a moment before they couldn't help but laugh, Road a little more animatedly than Tyki. Allen could feel sweat drip down his face from embarrassment and he stubbornly huffed, hoping to tough the situation out.

"It's been three days okay!? I'm starving! Parasitic users–," He was stopped by Tyki, who laughed and took a drag from his cigarette.

"We know, we know," Tyki said as he blew the smoke out. It danced around Allen's head, and the boy tried to wave it away with irritation, he realized it didn't smell nor did it disappear into the air like normal smoke. Instead the cloudy substance had a sweet smell, and it seemed to take a form around his head. Allen was so hungry he could have sworn that it took on the shape of the same butterfly Tyki carried around with him in his own world, but the shivers that ran up his spine shook away the thought and the smoke was gone before he could rethink the thought. "It doesn't stop it from being funny though." He added with a twinkle in his eye.

Allen watched as Tyki took off and began to walk down the long corridor of the Order, away from the hospital wing. Road bumped into Allen's shoulder and pushed him forward, "Well? Do you want food or not?"

Road had her hands behind her back and she almost looked innocent. Allen knew better though, and the threat from earlier was ringing at the back of his mind clear as a bell. "What, you're going to feed me after threatening to kill me?"

Road smiled as though she had a secret, and her eyes gleamed in Allen's direction, "Tyki and everyone else in the Order are important to me, and I won't trust anyone who tries to harm them. I have no problem with you trying to prove yourself to us… Just don't hold it against me when you mess it up and I cut you down."

Allen stared for a moment at her then decided to follow Tyki. Road walked behind him, and Allen could hear the tapping of the heel from her shoes with every step. He felt as though he were once again being led to visit Cross on the fateful night before he'd been killed, Crows walking on either side of him. The only difference was that here he wasn't handcuffed, strangely enough with the doubt that Road was pushing on him, it was shocking that he wasn't.

As they made their way through the halls of the Order, Allen made sure to take note of the area and remember it as best as he could. If it was the same as the Order he knew, then there would be a large library on the way to the cafeteria. With any luck, the Lavi from this world would be there with Bookman, and they would be a pair of welcome faces.

However, when they made it to the library the doors were open, and Allen gave a quick glance, but there was no one there. At least, as far as he could see. His heart dropped slightly and he stiffened at the realization he was still going to be alone in this world for now. He was sure if he made a big deal about it, Road would want to know why it was that he was so interested in the place. He didn't want to fight her on it, so he let himself be led to the cafeteria.

"So are there going to be other noa- Exorcists from this branch? I'd love to- uhm… meet them." He offered. He really could have done without meeting any of them, his stomach probably couldn't handle seeing the hyperactive twins Jasdevi in exorcist uniforms. But if he could get any talk about Lavi and Bookman maybe he could do… he wasn't sure what he would do. He had no plan. They would help him though, he knew that. At most they would take interest in his story, and they would wat to investigate it further to find out the truth.

"Eh… Maybe. I think Wisely is around somewhere. Oh! And I mean Skin is going to be in the cafeteria as always. He's the one that cooks after all."

Allen could feel the skin tighten around his body at the thought of someone named Skin cooking for them. He couldn't remember ever meeting a Noah named Skin, but he knew it had to have been the one that Kanda fought and killed in the Ark.

"An exorcist cooks the food here…?" He asked curiously.

"It keeps him calm, he's worked on the docks before they found him to be an accommodator, so he makes the best fish, but he can really cook anything. Just watch out, he always tries to sneak sugar into things that shouldn't have it."

Stopping when they reached the entrance of the lunchroom, the wonderful smells of freshly cooked food wafted through the air and into Allen's lungs. He peered around Tyki's tall shoulders and looked around to see what the cafeteria held inside. It was almost like home. No, it was exactly like home. Happy exorcists were laughing and talking with Finders and scientists from the lab. The faces were different than what he was used to, but he could feel home coming from the atmosphere. Long tables were lined up in rows and columns, but what sat in them was even more important. In a table nearby there was a gathering of laughing Order members. They were people he hadn't met before, but they were exorcists too. He'd half expected people to be fighting one another, beating one another into sadistic pulps. He'd expected any laughter to be from them stomping on human's faces and tearing people limb from limb. What he found was much better.

And suddenly he felt his shoulders that had been upright and stiff loosen up a bit.

He could see in their eyes that they weren't so different from the people he'd known. Some had scars from battle; others he could just tell that they had seen a lot. The thing Allen could really see, was that these people were his comrades in the same war. Even if it was opposite to his own.

A shove from behind him knocked him from his reverie, and he remembered he'd been blocking the entrance from Road, so he stepped aside and let her in. "Weren't you hungry?" She asked as she nodded her head in the direction of the ordering station.

Now that he was more relaxed, he realized that he was hungry. The growling sound from a few minutes ago was nothing to the pain he felt now that he had put his guard down for a second, so Allen ran in the direction she pointed.

Just behind the counter was a large man, one whose shoulders he could barely see behind the small opening. He looked angry, but surely enough he gave Allen every bit of food he'd asked for, and when he turned back to find a seat, the group of exorcists that had been laughing and joking waved him over to sit. He hesitated at first, but even Tyki who sat at the table with them, called him over.

"Oiii! Boy! Do you know how to play poker?"

"My name's Allen!" He corrected him as he walked to the table, "And of course I do."

After devouring his food in almost one foul swoop, he took Tyki and those others that had joined the game on in poker. He could see Road from the corner of his eye, watching interested in what was going on. She sat on the table across from him, her legs crossed and resting on the chair she should have been sitting on. Beside her Tyki stared at his hand, a confident smirk on his face. Wisely had come over but only watched, he not being allowed to play because even in this world with innocence, he could still get into people's heads.

The older man put his hand down, "Four of a kind, kid." The smirk still on his face as he declared his hand and showed it to the spectators.

"That'd be an alright hand if I didn't have…" Allen's laugh was dark as he placed down his own hand, showing five cards in a sequence, all of the same suit. "A straight flush."

The finders at the table went nuts and applauded, clapping whole heartedly at the win. They spoke of how usually Tyki won all of their games. "It's a big relief to know he's not really the poker God we thought he was! We thought he was untouchable!" They laughed and patted Allen on the back.

He laughed with them, still feeling as though he was at home. It was a strange to feel at home so quickly, but maybe the Order here was more alike to his own home than he originally thought. Allen laughed and even saw Road give a small smile, though when her eyes caught with his she turned quickly so that he wouldn't see.

As the laughing subsided a scientist came running up to the group, looking to Tyki and Road, then lastly to Allen. "There is a mission for you that the Chief wants to go over, you guys will have to leave as soon as possible." The scientist looked like an akuma he'd destroyed once upon a time, no soul hung haunting the human like a creepy specter this time.

"A-A mission?" Allen asked, surprised.

Road turned sharply to him, the ghost of the smile he'd barely noticed was gone, "Of course, didn't you want to prove yourself? You can't do it with just a friendly game of poker!" She hopped off the table and Tyki stood up, his cards gathered in his hand.

"No! I just-" He had for just a moment forgotten that he had a plan, and that he'd wanted to go see if Bookman or Lavi were in the Library, or if they were even at the Order at all. But if this could get them to trust him, so that he could get back home, then he would have to go. "Never mind, let's go!"

Somewhere else...

"It's interesting isn't it?"

Golden eyes turned to meet silver, and in a room filled with darkness both glowed brightly. "Do you feel it too?"

A redhead with tired eyes sat up in his bed, shirtless skin as white gleam behind his toothy smile. "Why don't you go check it out, Lenalee? It could be fun to see what our little exorcists have decided to play at."

Lenalee brushed her shoulder length hair with her fingers playfully before going back in through the door she'd come through. "I'm a little curious to see how the exorcists have a power that feels as though it's yours, Allen."

The red headed Allen stood up from his bed and looked in the mirror. He stared at his scarred eye and inspected the slight dark circles under his eyes. He could never get any real sleep in this place, there was always something going on, some sort of thorn breaking into his plans. His pale skin darkened to a gray color, leaving only the gleam of his golden eyes to sparkle in the darkness of his bedroom.

Brushing his now dark hair back, he turned to Lenalee and smiled at her once again, "You know I haven't been Allen Walker in a long time, why do you insist on calling me that?"

Lenalee puffed her cheeks out playfully at the Earl and disappeared behind a door that then began to sink into the ground. Her words echoed behind the closed door as it vanished "You have bags under your eyes again, Master Earl."

. . . . .

The mission was supposed to be simple, but then again the last mission had been supposed to have been simple as well. It had ended with Allen sitting in a train on yet another mission, but this time with Road Kamelot and Tyki Mikk. They were set to be his caretakers during this meeting, meaning they were the ones that were supposed to babysit him until he was determined to not be a threat to the Order. Hopefully this mission would be more successful than the last one had.

"Are you nervous?" Road's voice broke through the clattering of the train on its tracks.

"Oh I'm sorry are you talking to me?" Allen asked, he was being a smart-ass he knew, but he couldn't help it with her. They'd been travelling for hours, and no matter how nicely he tried to treat her, she hadn't wanted any of it. He'd offered to carry her bag for her, but she gave it to Tyki instead. When Allen held a door open for her, she opened the one right next to it and walked through that one instead. She'd been acting in a way much opposite to the Road he'd known to cling to him, and it he didn't know why, but it actually bothered him.

Road rolled her eyes and sighed before stopping the nearly endless tapping she'd been doing on the sill of the cabin they'd been placed in. "Listen here, you don't get to decide when I want to talk to you!"

Allen chose to ignore her, knowing it would get on her nerves.

"Don't look away!" She huffed and reached to where Allen sat across from her. She grabbed a piece of his white hair and tugged on it, taking a few of the strands with her when Allen pulled away. "It's more than likely there will be Noah there! Have you even fought one of those before?" She looked at him smugly when he looked surprised. "An imposter would be killed around one of them. They're ruthless and cruel and-"

"Trust me I know who they are." He stopped her as he brushed his hair down to soothe the pain of the pulled strands. It was ironic that Road Kamelot herself was warning him about the dangers of the Noah family, he would have a chuckle to himself if it weren't such a dizzying experience over all. "I'm not an imposter. You and Tyki saw me come out of that mirror, you know I came from that innocence." He said coolly and turned his attentions once again out of the window. It was dark now, so he could barely see anything except his own reflection. Even so, it was easier to look at his reflection than it was to look at the two exorcists with him.

"Maybe…" Road responded quietly, "But you look just like _him_ , and you have his name too… It's not exactly easy to trust someone who comes out like you did and who claims to be an ally…" She stopped and raised an eyebrow at him, "You know, an ally that wants access to our innocence."

Allen's brows furrowed and he once again turned to Road, this time his attention truly taken by her, "Who is this person you're talking about…? Even the Chief mentioned something like that…"

For a moment Road looked sad and she pulled her legs up on the seat, her knees tucked into her chest. "The Millennium Earl… He-" She stopped when Tyki, who had been deep in his sleep gave a loud snore, startling the two exorcists in the carriage. They froze their talking and stared at home before they both broke into laughter.

Once the giggles subsided, Road wiped tears of laughter from her eyes and looked out to where she spotted the lights of the station pulling up. "Oh we're here! It looks like Bookman is out there waiting for us. We should get ready to get out before the train pulls up. He can be an asshole." Road warned as she grabbed her bag and kicked Tyki awake.

Had she said Bookman? This was Allen's chance. He wasn't sure how she'd seen in the darkness of the night, with the light on inside the ornate cabin, but he peeked and squinted until he could see a figure waiting at the station. This was his chance and he would get to speak to Bookman and Lavi after all!

As the train pulled up, the figure became clearer and clearer, however, and Allen felt as though he'd been shoved into a cold shower. Bookman wasn't bald, nor did he have panda like eyes, but instead he was tall and much more familiar than that. Bright red hair spiked in different directions despite its length, and a white mask covered half of the man's face.

"M-Master!?" He screeched.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Now, Cross Marian had never really been the easiest person to deal with, Allen knew that much from experience. The man had a penchant for drinking and bedding as many women as he could get his hands on, but while Allen thought of it, this Cross could be different. Allen had no idea how he had become the Bookman in this alternate and screwed up reality, but he couldn't be so bad if he was a Bookman here. Everyone was supposed to be the opposite of themselves… right?

All theories of that flew out of the window, when the very carriage that Allen was riding in stopped directly in front of the person he'd known as his Master. The expression the red headed man gave to Allen was a mixture of anger and shock. Without a moment of hesitation, he pulled out the innocence Allen had known as Judgement, and he shot at the window.

"Gaaah!" Luckily enough, Allen was a pro at dodging his Master's gunshots from back in the day, but even so the feelings of warmth he may have gotten from seeing the teacher he'd long thought dead wore off quite quickly.

With the glass shattered of the train, spectators from inside the train gathered to see what the ruckus was about. Cross was already trying to climb through the window and Allen was trying to run away. Even the conductor had come up from his small smoke break to take a peek at the hullabaloo.

"What are you doing here!?" He yelled, danger and poison seeping through his voice.

"It's-… It's great to see you too Master Cross…" Allen responded, tears in his eyes from the scare that he'd just had.

"Master!? What sort of games are you trying to play!?" he yelled. He was almost inside, his hands close enough to choke Allen, but Tyki made it outside just in time to grab Cross and pull him away from the exorcist boy.

"Hey hey now! We know what this looks like, but didn't the Chief tell you ahead of time?" Tyki asked, his hands firmly grasping onto Marian, and his smoke wrapping around the man's legs for good measure.

Cross tried to gain his composure and he passed a hand over his clothes to smooth out any wrinkles. "I'm fine, I'm fine. He did tell me, but I thought it was just an idiot's joke." He deadpanned at Allen again then turned his back to him. "So this is the boy that looks like the bastard that betrayed the Bookmen huh?"

Allen had been making his way through around door like a civilized person, but when he went to step out, Road was blocking the way. He wanted to get passed and meet up with his teacher, but when he opened his mouth to say something, she held a finger to her lips. He was confused at first, but he listened in along with her.

"Yes, however Chief Kamelot had him tested… he has innocence in his arm... Road and I saw him. He came out of the innocence! We're not sure how but-", Tyki was interrupted by Cross clicking his tongue.

"Someone who looks like he does can't be trusted, no matter what type if disguise they may have." He said darkly.

A shadow crossed over Tyki's eyes and he returned the warning with a grim smile of his own. "It's strange that you would say that what with the Millennium Earl having come from your clan."

Allen froze in his spot and he looked to Road, who didn't take her eyes off the situation that was going on. For a moment longer she stayed, to say if they said anything more. Cross only spoke lower, his voice barely audible. "Bastard…"

She turned and pushed Allen back inside and back down through the small hallway of the train, "The Chief asked me to make sure you were safe, even if I don't like you. Orders are Orders so we have to go through a different exit until they calm down." She grumbled.

"Wait! Road- Protect me? I can protect myself! And what did they mean? The Millennium Earl is a bookman in this world?"

"You really are stupid" She said as she pushed him through a door further down from where Tyki and Cross stood. "Everyone knows that. How can you be an exorcist and not know the basic information?"

He stopped in his spot and stopped allowing her to push him around. He held his hands at either side of the door, and refused to budge until she answered his questions. Allen's stare was intense and as unmoving as he was. At first he thought she was going to punch him in the gut, but as he readied his stomach she instead pulled back and sighed.

"Bookmen have students they teach to be bookmen. This Bookman's previous student was apparently a host to a Noah memory, it's probably why he's so hostile towards you." Allen felt his skin raise with goosebumps as he realized the only student Cross Marian had had with a Noah memory was himself. "The boy looked like you, had the same name as you… Hell if it weren't for the innocence on your arm, we'd say you were the Millennium Earl himself."

Millennium Earl?

Had she just said that in this world… he was the Millennium Earl…?

Allen couldn't stand straight, or at least, he felt his knees buckling beneath him. But he knew he had to get a hold of himself. In a way, he should have known that. In his own world, he was fighting hard to work against the Noah memories within him, of course here the opposite would have been in effect. It didn't stop his stomach from feeling sick, however, and he stepped aside to gather his composure. Road stepped forward to leave but she noticed that he was leaning against the wall, and she stopped to watch him.

"What, don't tell me you didn't actually know…?" She waited a moment for his response, then rolled her eyes once again before taking hold of his arm to guide him outside. "Get some fresh air you ass, Weren't you going to show us you aren't some fake exorcist so you can get back home?"

She cursed him and made him stand against a wall in the more expansive fresh air. The cool of the night air was refreshing and Allen could feel himself calming down. Though her words were sarcastic, they were helping him remember what his goal was, and they were helping more than they were hurting.

"I'm not a fake exorcist… I know you don't believe me, but it's not exactly easy to find out you're the Millennium Earl in a parallel world to your own…" He gave her a sarcastic smirk and raised his brow to see how she would respond. "It's as though I'd be telling you that you're a murderous Noah in my world that enjoys putting other people in pain."

Road scoffed for a moment and took her bag from her shoulder to shove it at him, "As if I'd ever be a Noah, I'm the nicest damn person you'll ever meet."

Allen couldn't help but chuckle, and his chuckle turned into laughter. It was loud enough to get the attention of Tyki and Cross Marian, and the two made their way over to the pair.

"What's going on here…?" Tyki asked, his voice sounding confused to the situation. Cross seemed curious as well, but only in his walking over, the dark look he gave was echoing his tiredness of the entire situation.

"Who cares, we've been here for too long anyhow. There's innocence you bastards have to take care of so you can get the hell out of my hair." He growled his words as he walked away.

By then Allen's laughter had subsided and Road was frowning at him as usual, unsure how what she'd said had been so funny, but she was momentarily relieved that he didn't look so sick anymore. She wouldn't admit it, but her curiosity was definitely piqued by this strange story the boy was insisting as truth. The way he'd looked so ill at what she'd said had struck in a strange way she hadn't expected, but even so she pushed the thought to the back of her mind. He'd prove himself a fake or real exorcist soon enough after all, only after that would she even think about the story being true or false.

They all followed Bookman out of the station and to an awaiting carriage that drove them to their destination. The ride was quiet, with Cross Marian staring out one window and Allen Walker staring out the other side. Even though the ride was awkward for Tyki and Road, who just spoke to one another with glances and shrugs, the night was a beautiful one.

The train ride had taken quite a while to take them to where they wanted, and Allen who wasn't used to not having the arc to travel around with was quite happy to travel the good old fashioned way. As he stared out the window, he could see the quiet sky glittering with stars and the moon hovering thousands of miles away from them while still seeming close enough to touch. It was the one friend that was always there, no matter where Allen went, the moon followed.

Simple buildings lined the cobblestone road, brick and cement stacked upon one another to create enclosures for those inside. Allen realized there weren't many people on the road, and it made him think back on the case file the Chief Kamelot had given them to read before the trip. The innocence this time had something to do with a suit of armor that rode nightly on a ghostly horse. It seemed like a story that was told to keep kids inside after curfew, but even so it was an exorcist job to check it out.

Riding in the carriage wasn't as long as the train ride, but even so it felt long enough. When they finally arrived at their destination, Allen and Road stayed back a moment, staring in awe at the large build that lay before them.

"What? Have neither of you ever seen a ballet house…?" Tyki asked though he'd never been to one himself either. He just didn't want to admit it as an adult. They weren't really much of the type of place he was interested in, but nonetheless he loved to embarrass the younger exorcists.

Road snapped out of her reverie first and pouted at Tyki, "What? Course not! It's not my type of scene! Don't be mean!" She said as she followed Tyki inside.

Allen took a bit longer to snap out of it and he continued to stare for a moment. Road and Tyki's voices didn't snap him out of the sight, and Cross had already gone in before everyone else so he wasn't there to harass him. Instead Allen stared for a moment longer and what took him out of his gaze was a whisper that he felt he could hear next to his ear yet far away all at the same time.

"Master Earl…?" Allen turned sharply, his hood falling down and revealing his stark white hair. He swore he could see Lenalee out of the corner of his eye… but that wasn't possible.

"Boy? Are you coming or not?"

Now Allen looked up to see Tyki now, standing on the steps the man's hands were on his hips and he stood patiently waiting for the younger exorcist. "Road and Bookman are already inside." He said simply.

Allen nodded and completely forgot about the whisperings in his ear as he made his way up the marble steps that lead to the doors. Tyki met him halfway and took some of the bags that he was carrying, and the two finished the trek into the ballet house together. With all thoughts on the specter of Lenalee he had seen outside gone, Allen focused instead on Cross and Road staring at the stage hidden past the second set of doors in the hallway.

While the outside of the theater was beautiful, the inside made it seem dilapidated in comparison. Gold decorations of vines and flowers kissed the tops of the doors and circled them down to the red velvet carpets on the floor. Inside the seating and ceilings were just as ornate if not more so. The building became more and more beautiful with each level of room.

When Allen followed the gaze of the others, though, he spotted a silver suit of armor standing in the middle of the stage itself. It glittered, shimmering silver reflecting the lights that were set just on it, and it alone.

"Is that it…?" He asked, breaking the silence of the group.

"Of course that's it, what else would it be?" Cross asked sternly. "You're damn lucky it didn't move while you idiots were on your train here… or you know, standing around outside like assholes."

Allen snapped his attention at his master, or rather the man he knew as him though in this world he wasn't, "If you could have taken care of it on your own, you would have, so maybe you should appreciate us being here a bit more."

Cross' eyes flashed dangerously and Tyki reacted quickly enough to hold the man back, "What did you say? I didn't quite hear you…!" He growled.

"I think he said that you should stop being such a dick," Road quipped, this was how any and all interactions with the Bookman ended most of the time, though he seemed more on edge than ever with Allen nearby. She didn't trust him either, but she figured at the very least she wasn't as bad as the Bookman was and it was always a plus to be a step or two ahead of him.

"Now according to all the files, this is where the suit starts its journey every night, why don't we sit at different parts of the auditorium to stay away from one another. God knows we can't work together as a group apparently."

When Road was the one being the grownup in the situation, you knew that the entire ordeal was quite bad to begin with. But they did as she suggested, Cross shrugging off the other male exorcist in favor of the further left most corner of the room. Tyki took one to the front left, Road went to the right, and Allen to the farther back right corner. They were all pretty spread out, but the echoing of the room allowed for them to listen to what the others were doing quite easily.

But the night dragged on. 10 came and passed, as did 11pm and 12 am, yet the armor didn't budge. Tyki and Road wandered closer to one another and finished began playing card games with one another, Allen ended up wandering over as well to play. Cross remained by himself watching the ordeal. By 1am the three were asleep, heads resting on one another, and Cross snored softly in his corner.

Then 2 a.m. happened, and a creepy music began to play on stage.

Allen was the first to open his eyes, and he realized he'd had his head resting on Road's he shot up quickly before the other exorcist could wake up and find her head on his shoulder. Before he could wake up his temporary comrades, however, another flash of white was on the stage, dancing alongside the lavish suit of armor. Allen couldn't stop watching.

Lenalee wore a long white dress that spun elegantly as she danced with the metallic male that stood atop the stage. She allowed it to spin her and dip her, the two twirling back and forth beautifully in a dance that if one couldn't tell, had been rehearsed for hundreds upon hundreds of hours.

"Lena..lee…? What are you…?" Then Allen's unfinished sentence remained just that, as Lenalee and the armor stopped dancing, and Allen was forced to watch as her skin turned a dark gray. Then stigmata opened up one by one on her forehead and he didn't have to ask anymore. He knew well what it meant.

Activating his innocence, Allen jumped forward to meet her at the stage. She laughed darkly, and stood ready for an attack that probably wouldn't come. "I knew something was strange… you look like the Millennium Earl… but you're not him. You carry his sword-"

She stopped and in a split second her face was inches from him. "But you're working for that _God_ aren't you?" She said the word 'God' with such disdain it was as if it were poison in her lips.

Allen didn't know if he could swing his sword at his friend, and he found himself freezing up at the mere thought of it. The stutter in his thoughts gave enough time for her to wrap her leg up and into a kick that threw Allen into the seats where he was sitting just a few moments ago. "Good old Millennie probably wouldn't mind it if I destroyed a fake version of him, so let's play, exorcist."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N Thank you once again to those who reviewed, especially Jy24, who always reviews! Thanks! On another note, next week there will be no chapter because I will be at a convention this coming weekend and will not have time to write a new chapter. I'll be back the week after though so talk to you guys then!

Chapter 6

Road had been sleeping soundly, though odd dreams littered her mind, she'd still been sleeping soundly. That was why when Allen fell onto her and shocked her into being awake, she wasn't the happiest of campers. Then she realized he'd been kicked by the Noah standing on center stage, and she was even more angered. Allen got off her quickly, and she stood up, waking Tyki up as well, as he tended to be much more of a sound sleeper than any of them.

"Hey Bookman! Wake up! We've got trouble!" She called.

Lenalee laughed coldly, covering her mouth in a lady like fashion despite the cold in her eyes. "Four exorcists versus one Noah? That hardly seems fair does it…?" Shadows surrounded her and enveloped the entirety of the room, sucking in the armor made of innocence and even Cross, who was still far back. "At least… for you all."

Within the blink of an eye, the world was entirely different, and they knew they weren't in their own world any longer.

Allen's skin rose into goosebumps but he tried to keep his composure as strange and creepy dolls danced back and forth, surrounding them. They seemed to mix themselves between reality and cartoon, and it was as if they were within reach, yet all the same too far away to touch. They laughed as they began to close the circle in.

"Road…? Tyki?" He called to his temporary comrades.

"We're right here. Don't let her get into your head! The Noah of Dreams is dangerous!"

So Lenalee was the Noah of Dreams in this world. It was strange to see the roles reversed, but there was no way that Allen could spare the moment to see the irony in it all. There was a Noah attacking him.

"Lenalee! Show yourself!" He called to her, though he knew that more than likely she would not. If she was a Noah on parallel with his Noah of Dreams, then they were in a whole separate world than she was hidden in.

"Oh!" Her voiced echoed in their ears and bounced off invisible walls, "You know my name too? You're really interesting… maybe I'll take you home to Master Earl after all~"

Allen summoned his sword from his arm as one of the dolls leaped towards him, it's sharpened legs glinting against an unseen light as they aimed themselves against Allen. He swung his sword in a fowl swoop, but they dispersed as illusions.

He took his chance as an empty space opened up with the destruction of some of the sharpened ballerinas. As he ran past them, the rest seemed to disappear into shadows, and Allen realized he was in a whole separate gathering of shadows. He looked around him frantically, hoping to find one of the others, but before he could run in a different direction, Lenalee came from what seemed like the sky with another kick smashing down. He managed to dodge the attack just in time, but even the ground within her dream world was broken apart underneath the heavy step.

Skidding across the ground Allen held his sword out as a warning and as a barrier, but Lenalee's eyes only widened with merriment and glee when she saw it. "You have the same sword as Millennie too!?" Her laughs were chilling and Allen could feel them under his skin and inside of his bones. "You sure are special aren't you…? Too bad for the innocence, but I'm sure I can get rid of it for you." She offered.

As she stepped forward, Allen stepped back. With only shadows between them, Allen knew that he would have to fight her. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to do that though. If he could stab at his friend, the one that had supported him even as he was leaving the Order? There was no way he could do that. At the same time, he knew that this wasn't his friend.

"Lenalee, keep away. I know you're not an akuma, you're just a human… I can't fight you." He admitted.

She only laughed again and kicked at him, this time pushing him backward into a wall of her own creation. "Human? Don't lump me in with the subhumans. You should know what the Noah family really is… that is since you know my name after all. You know we're trying to cleanse the world of the… filth." She said the last part with contempt.

Allen had had this conversation before, but it was with Road last time. It was unnerving to hear those words coming from Lenalee.

There were explosions from behind them and Lenalee looked backward, giving Allen enough time to at the very least knock her to the side. She fell and Allen stood above her, sword at her throat to keep her from moving.

From the area the explosions had happened, Road and Tyki ran forward. "She brought akuma with her but they're taken care of!"

They stopped in their tracks as they saw that Lenalee was just underneath the tip of Allen's sword. "What are you doing!? Attack her!" Road called, frustrated with him.

But Allen couldn't do it, and Lenalee smiled realizing that. He closed his eyes but he couldn't swing, and when he opened them back up, she was gone. Instead she stood behind him and took an attack of opportunity against him. Once again he was going to get kicked back, but unlike Allen, Tyki had no hesitation. His innocence rose up from within his lungs and spread out, the smoke wafting through the air, a bright contrast to the miasma from the shadows that Lenalee's world provided. They wrapped around Lenalee before she could attack him, and Road ran up to the taller girl. Allen hadn't noticed but her arm had changed forms to a long dagger instead of a sword. She swiped at Lenalee and Allen had to look away as the one girl cut at the other.

But Lenalee once again disappeared and reappeared behind her. Luckily Road was quick, as if she could sense where the Noah girl would appear and she swiped quickly to every place Lenalee moved to.

"Wh-What is she doing…? How does she know where to go?" Allen asked, watching the two females battle in swift and long movements. Tyki's smoke helped, slowing down the Noah and grabbed her to slow her movements even more whenever she seemed to try an attack in return to Road's own slashes. When Road became tired of the dagger, her arm transformed once again and instead she simply head-butted Lenalee as hard as she could.

"Road can feel out where dark matter or those who use it are. It's only an approximation but in the heat of battle it's usually pretty accurate because her senses are heightened much more. That's how her Crystal Type Innocence works. Her real body is elsewhere, sleeping. This body you've been seeing is her innocence that she controls from elsewhere." Tyki explained simply, though his concentration was elsewhere.

Allen watched as the two girls continued to slash at one another until Lenalee melted into the ground and disappeared. Her laughter echoed yet again around the area, it's source undiscernible.

"I came here to test his powers, not play with the doll and smoker exorcists." It was almost as if Lenalee's voice was whispering in his ear, but when he turned around sharply, there was a level 4 in his face instead.

At least this was something he could handle.

Allen swung backwards and used it spin himself around quickly while at the same time using it as an attack on the monster. The demon's arm shifted and became a gun, almost reminiscent of Allen's old innocence form, and they shot at the three party members. Once the smoke cleared, it revealed there were 2 other akuma alongside it.

Allen regrouped with Tyki and Road, the two on either side of him, and together they fought the akuma. Each had their own, but each also helped the others if needed. If Tyki was attacked, he let his body become smoke and he would dissipate enough to fill the akuma and infect it with innocence. Then Road would push hers to the side with an attack, allowing Allen to slash at all three at once.

The battle didn't last very long, since all three of them were higher level exorcists. Soon the exorcists were allowed to see the explosions of the akuma as a prize for their fighting. Slightly out of breath, Allen asked sarcastically, "Have I proven myself yet?"

Road, whose body didn't sweat, simply waited for the other two to get a breather. "Not until you tell me why you didn't attack that Noah."

Allen deadpanned and stared at her out of the corner of his eye. "Would you believe that she's an exorcist in my world?" Her glare answered his question, "It's true! I-"

"I don't care if it's true or not! She's a NOAH in THIS world!"

Road's words shook Allen a bit, but he knew she was if he did attack her, it would just exorcise the Noah from her, so wouldn't he just be helping her here?

"Your world? How interesting…" Lenalee said from the distance.

Suddenly gunshots erupted from in front of them, and the shadows dispersed revealing them to be standing on the stage while Lenalee sat calmly in the seats having been watching the situation like a show.

Cross looked irritated at the entire situation, but Lenalee only clapped her hands and disappeared like the shadows that had only been surrounding them a few moments ago. "What a good change to the show, I'm sure the Millennium Earl will love the new actor that's been introduced to the stage." She laughed until she was completely gone.

"Damn Noah." Cross growled.

Allen and Road jumped down from the stage, while Tyki looked into the suit of armor that had been standing moments ago. It now lay on the ground knocked over, but the innocence had been left untouched. "She must have only cared about the boy here…"

Cross walked down the aisle that led to stage and while Road gathered her things, Cross walked up to his pupil and tapped his head with the hilt of the gun. "Alright so you gonna tell me what the fuck that Noah wants with this kid, and who he really is?"

"You can ask me yourself, Master."

"I haven't been called that in a long time. Start talking, kid."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N I apologize for this taking longer than I thought to upload. School started, so my updates may be sporadic. However, to make up for it my chapters will probably be longer. The proof is in the pudding for this chapter I'd say. Please enjoy!

Chapter 7

Deep within the corridors of the theater were halls; halls decorated with dilapidated posters of old plays, ballets, and operas that had been performed within these walls. Past those halls were smaller rooms, ones with clothing and gowns elaborately decorated with rhinestones and fine lace only performers and high ranked nobility could wear. Other rooms were filled with small cots, ones that could be used for actors to rest in between performances, or even if one took literal meaning to breaking a leg.

One of the furthest rooms was that of a small kitchen where a tea kettle had been placed to heat up water as the exorcists finally listened to what Allen had to say.

"So in this other world… You're telling me these guys are Noah?" Cross laughed loudly, and even though they were quite a lone now, the others around him tried to shush him down. "Oh shut up! That's hilarious!"

"So you don't believe me?" Allen said, slightly downtrodden. He was beginning to grow tired of people not believing him, and though the story was farfetched, it was something that could be possible when mixed in with all the strange incidences he'd experienced throughout his life. The singing doll Lala, the rewinding town, even the ghostly hand that played chess, all were strangely improbable moments that could be attributed to God's crystal known as Innocence.

"What? Of course I believe you." It took Allen a moment to register what Cross Marian was saying, but a smile he hadn't had in a long time spread across his face as he realized what his Master was saying. "I've seen the other Allen Walker with my own eyes… you may look like him, but there's no way you are him. That man is dangerous... his hands are covered in blood, and his eyes never hide the fact that he takes pleasure in it."

The room became silent for a moment between all parties involved, and then the kettle started whistling its high pitched song, the song that meant the water was heated to the perfect temperature for their tea. Cross stood up, cigarette still hanging from his lips, as he took it off the stove and brought it over along with mugs and tea itself.

"A while back, before I became a Bookman, the old man had had a different apprentice. His name had been Allen as well. When the 14th made his move and was killed by the Earl, this Allen took on the 14th's memories and offered himself up so that those memories could awaken later on. With bookman lacking an apprentice, I offered myself up so that I could find the kid when the time came."

Yet another Allen? Allen wondered how much of this world's history tied in with his own, but he remained quiet, listening. His eyes wandered to Road and Tyki, hoping that they were listening just as intently. If he could have them understand, then they could help. If they could help… well he could get back home to his own friends and family.

Road could feel him staring and she turned to meet his gaze. He couldn't read any expression off her, so he wasn't sure how she felt about the situation, but he hoped and prayed that she was listening.

Cross continued, "But that kid… as soon as the memories came back, he gave himself willingly to them. It was according to plan, but something went wrong. The 14th's memories came, but so did the bloodlust that came with being a Noah. He lost himself to it… killed off the remaining Noah family and started a new as the Millennium Earl."

Once again quiet filled the room. Allen was staring at his cup in disbelief. Was that what would happen if he lost to the 14th's memories inside his own mind, he wondered.

"I don't know how much of that timeline crosses with yours… But I wish our Allen had had the strength you seem to have." It was one of those strange moments where Cross almost seemed to care for Allen, and he turned his attention to Bookman once again, his eyes meeting his master's this time. What he said was genuine, and Allen's hand trembled, wishing that the Cross in his world was still alive.

"Wh-What should I do now Master?" Allen asked, his voice barely above a whisper in contrast to Cross' loud and booming voice.

"How the hell should I know!?" Cross yelled as he slammed his mug back on the table.

Tyki and Road looked at one another and nodded, a silent decision being made between the both of them until Tyki spoke. "Well, we're going to have to find a way to get you back, kiddo. Who knows what the hell is going to happen if we have two people with the same power in one world."

"R-Really!?" It was Allen's turn to yell, but he sat back down from the chair he had stood up from just as quickly, gaining his composure as he did. "So you guys believe me too?"

"Well, the Noah Lenalee didn't seem to hold back when attacking you… and the Bookman here is pretty trustworthy I'd say…" Tyki replied. "That being added onto the fact we've seen you use your innocence now and there's no way it's a fake."

Allen didn't know how to thank them; he was just happy that he had a way to get back home. That he would have help.

"We're not saying it'll happen right away… I'm not even sure where the innocence is store now. It could be being processed, it could be inside Hevlaska, it could already be given to one of the Generals. But we'll find it for you."

"That's all I ask! Thank you! I don't want to mess anything up here; I just want to go home! I swear!"

"We'll have to do I quietly, if the Order finds that there is someone on par with the current Millennium Earl… someone that could take him down. They'll try to use you Allen… They'll want to keep you here as long as possible to make you do their job." Road spoke up, her eyes giving a warning to him.

They all seemed to agree, and she nodded to them in confirmation of it. "We will get you back home Allen. I promise." And Allen believed her.

It was early in the morning, and if there had been any windows in the room they were in, they would see the sun beginning to rise. The late night fight left them all worn and bruised up. Cross allowed Tyki and Allen to share a room to rest in, while Road simply went outside to make some phone calls back to headquarters about the mission. Cross seemed to stare off into space, deep in thought about what all of this meant.

As Allen lay in bed, he did much of the same. He stared at the ceiling, a smile on his face that he couldn't wipe off. Of course, there would still be a long road ahead, especially with no one knowing the specifics of where the innocence from the mirror had gone, and not being able to tell the higher ranking members of the Order about it made it all the more difficult. Allen was sure they would be able to do it though.

He knew Road, and if anyone could help him, it would be the spunky girl.

He had to stop for a moment, realizing he was thinking very highly for the girl, and that was very… strange for him. Of course, Road was very capable girl, he knew by how he'd fought her previously. She never even seemed to exert herself in the line of battle, but it was very strange to have to depend on her and know that she would pull through. Of course, this was a different Road than he was used to, but he knew that she would help him. Tyki was there as well, but Road stuck in his mind.

He remembered how his Road appeared from nowhere and blocked an attack from Apocryphos from him. He remembered how his Road woke him from losing his mind inside of Kanda and Alma's memories. There was a quick flash of the memories of Road kissing him and holding his hand, but he pushed those from his mind and instead focused on just being able to get back home, those memories being too embarrassing to actually think about.

There was a loud and sudden snort from a sleeping Tyki, and Allen laughed as he threw a pillow into Tyki's direction in hopes of either shutting him up or waking him up to make him stop. Tyki soon quieted down and Allen fell victim to the quiet of the bedroom, and he was soon asleep as well.

The next morning came by uneventfully, and the exorcists had their supplies gathered once again, an additional piece of innocence wrapped among the articles now. The train was in wait to go back in the direction they'd come from, steam rolling from the locomotive in all directions leaving the area lightly clouded. Road and Tyki were already inside the train, another small cabin claimed for the Order's purposes. Allen stood outside, hair blowing in the clouds of smoke, almost matching the gray and white of the air.

"Are you sure you can't come with us?" He asked Cross.

"Why are you so worried about me? I don't know what kind of relationship we have in your world, but we're not the closest of pals here Allen." He was obviously still sore from whatever this Allen had done to him, no matter how long ago it had been. "Why do you even care? What am I dead in your world?"

Allen didn't look him in the eye and Cross got the hint, "Oh… I see."

Cross turned and looked at the part of the sky that wasn't covered in the gray of the smog, bright blue peeking out between tufts of smoke. "Eh who gives a fuck, I'm not one to die so easily. I'm probably faking it back there. Hell, I'd fake it here if I had the chance to. Promises are promises though, gotta keep recording."

"Are you going to record this…?" Allen asked.

"I have to. There's probably some important information hidden in there we will need for the history books." He offered. "If you need any tips though, don't hesitate to decimate any of your comrades from your world that are here. No matter how kind or good hearted they may be where you are… They will take advantage of any doubt you may have, especially if the Earl knows about you now."

"He knows…?" Allen asked. He hadn't thought about it, truthfully, but it made sense.

"Don't be an idiot. That Noah got away, and she was here to just scope you out? Of course he knows, and if he's still half as bad as I remember him, he's going to be coming after you."

"I'll be gone soon enough, so hopefully I won't cause any unnecessary trouble for the exorcists here…" Allen offered.

"Yeah, hopefully you'll be gone before you form any connections… because he's the type to take advantage of those and tear them into shreds." Cross said. He blew out his own cloud of smoke and it blended with that of the train's last whistle blowing before it's departure. "I'll keep in contact… this is too God damn interesting to not record." He said.

Allen couldn't help but smile and he finished climbing into the train as it pulled away. He watched from the door until Cross' red hair disappeared from how far away it was, and even then Allen squinted in an attempt to be able to see the bright mass. Once it was gone behind the clouds of the train, he found the cabin where Road and Tyki were, and he plopped down with the ghost of a smile still on his face.

"I've never seen anyone actually happy to talk to Bookman." Tyki spoke without looking up from his cards. They weren't playing poker, it looked more likely to be Old Maid, but it he seemed to be concentrating extremely hard for such a simple game. Going to sit down and watch, Allen noticed that Tyki's hand was reflected in the window behind him, and the smile that had been hiding grew into a snicker as he raised his brow at Road. She gave a sly grin, and the two laughed as Tyki frustratingly shuffled his hand once again. Allen couldn't snitch her out, God knew he'd cheated more than his fair share of times. And Tyki could stand to lose a hand at any game with the girl.

"So, Boy, do you have any ideas? I mean, I know you don't know much about this parallel world or whatever you call it, but I can't imagine it's much different right?" Tyki asked as he took a card from Road and made a pair for himself.

Allen sat and watched quietly as Road excitedly giggled and took a card from Tyki's hand, the confidence in her play making Tyki scowl in annoyance as his old maid card remained in his hand. She sat cross legged with her back against the wall of the cabin. A happy tune hummed from her lips as she made yet another pair for herself.

"I think he should just continue with missions. The order is going to be keeping an eye on you, Allen, so you should let us do the investigating. If anything I can ask around without being suspected of anything… Daddy won't think anything of it except for my being curious after all."

Watching as Tyki drew a card, Allen waited for Road to draw another from Tyki's hand to respond. The man cursed as she dodged the cursed card once again, not knowing she could see where he kept it in his hand from the reflection behind him. "I don't think handling the situation secretly is such a good idea… I mean if we just tell them the truth-…"

Both Road and Tyki laughed at once at the mention of telling the Order the truth, "Allen… we didn't even believe you until we saw your innocence in action! The Order itself is a place where dark shit has gone down… Don't get me wrong, the some of the science division and the exorcists and finders… they're our family. I'd die for any of them… but there are some people that can't be trusted Allen… I'm sure it's the same at your own Order." Tyki put his cards down, finally giving up and leaving Road with a pout as she hadn't won officially.

Allen thought of Leverrier, who always seemed to be against him, and all the experiments that Kanda and Alma had to go through as children also rushed through his mind. He knew that he agreed, so he silently nodded and took some cards that were handed to him. It seemed they were going to play a new game and he would be included in the hand this time.

Tree after tree flew by in the background of the window's scene. After a while the games subsided, and day turned to night. The ride had lasted a day or so on the way to the theater, but now that the others were willing to help him, it seemed to last much longer than last time. Eventually though they would make it back by nightfall of the next day. With plenty of moments for each one to get up and walk around at stations or around the train between cars themselves, they seemed to relax a bit more than they had last time.

"So Allen, tell me about me in the other world. Am I as cute as I am here?" Road grinned jokingly, though she half wasn't. Tyki had gotten up to use the bathroom, so it left a few moments for Allen and Road to talk. She was much nicer when she trusted him, and he found himself feeling comfortable talking to her now that she didn't consider him an enemy. "Who am I kidding of course I am." She laughed.

"Ah well, you're… something else for sure." Allen scratched at his chin, not wanting to meet her in the eye and tell her about how much of a troublemaker she really was. He wasn't too sure how well this Road would take the fact that she was a bad guy in the other world, the type to drive Generals insane and to drive stakes through young exorcists' eyes.

She pouted and leaned closer from across the chair opposite him, her legs swinging from being so small, "Hey now, it's not fair to keep secrets when I'm the one that's going to help you!"

"If I'm not mistaken, you hated me yesterday." Allen raised his brow, teasing the small girl.

"Yeah well, yesterday you were a Noah or akuma or something trying to kill Tyki and Wisely and Jasdevi!" She crossed her arms and slouched in her chair, her legs reaching to the opposite seat and resting on the red leather.

"No I wasn't, you thought I was, but I never was."

"The details don't matter." She said as she waved her hand back and forth, almost wiping the memory away from her mind. "Can't you just give me some details?"

Allen pretended to stare out the window but his eyes wavered back and forth between the scenery outside the window and then back to Road. After attempting to pretend he wasn't interested in this conversation, he sighed in defeat. "Fine. But I don't see what that would help here…"

"I don't see what it would hurt!" She responded quickly.

Allen thought for a moment about the information he should share, "Well, you look pretty much the same…" _When not in your Noah form,_ "And your personality is pretty much the same as far as I know… I don't really know you too well in my world." He realized that in truth he didn't actually know much about her. In fact, he probably knew more about this opposite Road than he knew about the Road Kamelot that lived in his world. She always seemed to have a secret, and even seemed to know the words that Neah left for Mana before he passed. A lot seemed to be on that Road's shoulders. Maybe this one did as well, but he wouldn't be around long enough to find out.

"No offense Miss Road, but I usually try to keep myself away from you and Tyki in my world."

She seemed to contemplate that for a moment, and she put her feet down, "Oh… Alright." She got quiet and Allen almost felt bad. She had at least wanted to talk, and compared to the Road he knew, this one hadn't harmed him in any way. He didn't have anything against her.

He tried to speak up once again, but Tyki came in and plopped down at his seat next to the window. The rest of the ride was very silent, except for a few comments about the view outside the window, and the game of goldfish that had begun once Tyki came back. It wasn't an awkward silence, nor an angry one, but more along the lines of the quiet you get with just acquaintances that didn't have much to talk to.

Arriving back at the station for the Order was much the same, as was the carriage ride back inside. It wasn't uncomfortable, but everyone was lost in their own thoughts, Tyki thinking about what the next step would be, Road's mind on how she would ask her father for information, and Allen thinking about how he would get home. He was so wrapped up in his own mind that he didn't notice that he found himself wandering to the bedroom he'd known as his own back at his own Order.

When he realized he'd been standing in a bare room any way, he set his bag down and sat at the bed he'd known himself to sit at plenty of times. In fact, he sat there for a while, wandering where Link would be in this world. He wondered how Lenalee had become a Noah, and what could have driven the him in this world to give up to the 14th Noah. Had he been so weak that he hadn't wanted to become an exorcist? Did he even have innocence? If he'd never had innocence, would he have ever been found by Mana and the circus? Had he had no one to care about here?

A sudden knock on his door snapped him out of his revere and he realized that night had fallen and he had basically disappeared into a bedroom he had no claim to. Even so, someone had been kind enough to give him the space and let him sit there for hours on end.

Allen yawned and stretched, suddenly realizing that he was exhausted from the travelling. As he made his way to the door he also realized that at some point during his spacing out he'd taken his shoes off and unbuttoned his shirt. He must've been so tired that he auto piloted into his normal, despite not being in the normal place to do that.

Opening the door, he had to take a step back as he was shocked to find Sheryl standing outside once again. "Ooh! Allen there you are! I almost opened the door and came inside since we haven't seen you in hours!" He seemed to want to peer past Allen and to the room, so the younger male stepped aside to let the older one inside. "You seemed to have chosen a room for yourself quite easily hmm?"

"Oh yes uhm… I'm sorry! I was just so tired that I seemed to have walked here without thinking…" Allen watched as Komui, or rather Sheryl, looked around his room and even under his bed. "Sho-Should I leave…? What are you looking for if I may ask, Sir?"

Sheryl snapped up and straightened the glasses on his face with a sheen, though Allen wasn't quite sure if the man really needed glasses at all. "Oh no no no no, this is fine! More than fine! It's just… you haven't seen Road have you? I haven't seen her in a few hours I'm a little worried." Worried was an understatement as he pulled off the blanket from Allen's bed as if there would be someone beneath the flat surface.

It was strange that her father wouldn't know where she was, but Allen was sure that they had probably just missed one another in passing. The chance of her avoiding him was also a possibility. Even so, he offered to help, and Sheryl thanked him with a hug that seemed far too strong for a man who spent most of his time in the science division filling out paperwork.

So they split up, Sheryl suggesting that Allen start from the top floor and meet him halfway, Sheryl would start from the very bottom. Allen did as he had been asked, though strangely enough, as he thought about it, he couldn't find a single person. Tyki wasn't around, nor were the twins or Wisely or a single science division member. Had Road taken them with her, wherever she'd gone?

Finally, he made it to the cafeteria, and a strange hum that came from inside seemed to quiet down. His hand on the knob of the large door was shaking and he wasn't too sure what to expect. Had the two exorcists told the others about him? Or worse, had the Noah come back and attacked the Order, as they had in his previous world? At the thought he swung the door open, ready for battle and-

"SURPRISE! WELCOME HOME ALLEN!"

Allen stopped short of where he stood, and stared at the group in front of him. There was Road and Tyki, Sheryl alongside them. Eliade the scientist was there, as were the other familiar faces. All of them had glasses in their hands, waving them in his direction. A giant sign was hanging from the ceiling that said _'Welcome Home, Allen._ This was just like they'd done back at his home, and his Order. He felt his hands shaking still below his waist as he let his guard down for a second. It felt as though it had been so long ago that he'd been fully welcomed back to the Order, that being welcomed back to even one that was the opposite was… perfect.

He paused for another moment, trying to blink away any tears he may have. He was overwhelmed, but in an elated way. In a way you feel truly welcome. Maybe he wouldn't be in such a rush to go back home. Maybe he could have a family here, even if just for a little while.

"I'm… I'm home!" he said back, a genuine smile on his face unlike one he'd had for a long time.


End file.
